In the course of making jewelry, decorative beads are often strung onto a filament or line to create decorative necklaces or bracelets. As the filament holds more beads, it becomes progressively more difficult to prevent beads from sliding off the end of the filament. It is also sometimes desirable to store an uncompleted project between uses. Without a mechanism to secure the end of the filament, the careful arrangement of beads may be lost as the strung beads slide off the end of the filament. This can result in hours of lost work and significant frustration.
In order to avoid these problems, it is desirable to be able to prevent beads from slipping or sliding off the filament during the creation of the design. It is further desirable that this process be easy to apply and remove, since a permanent application such as a knot or a glued bead would adversely affect the aesthetic and functional characteristics of the finished product.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,051,414 discloses a method of retaining components strung on a wire. The method requires the user to directly squeeze the angled end members of a coiled spring. Various problems arise with this arrangement. Since the end members of the coiled spring are thin in profile, when the end members are manipulated a substantial concentration of force is exerted on the user's fingertips. This can cause undesirable pain and discomfort to the user during the operation of the securement device. Moreover, the end members of the spring provide little traction or grip during use.
In order to alleviate these problems, the invention disclosed herein, includes covers that are releasably engaged to each end member. Each cover is adapted to fit and couple with the end member of the tension spring. Preferably, the cover is also flattened so that the force from the manipulation of the end members is distributed over a wider surface area, thereby reducing the user's discomfort. It is also desirable that the cover be textured to provide improved traction and grip during use. There is thus a need for a convenient device that can be used to secure and prevent a set of beads from sliding off the end of a filament line.